The present invention relates generally to the field of cooking and more specifically to the use of accessory or integral devices that can be used to indicate the general temperature of the cooking vessel (or its contents) and to time the cooking process. Further, the present invention is believed to have particular application in the field of “Waterless” cooking especially in conjunction with devices that provide an audible signal.
“Waterless” cooking is old, as are knobs that give an audible signal when steam is formed to indicate attainment of cooking temperatures. Knobs for cooking vessels that are provided with whistles and having mechanisms to turn the whistle off or to allow the escape of steam are also known. Such whistle knobs are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,134,358, 4,418,637, 4,776,296, 4,862,552, and 6,004,000, all of which are incorporated herein by reference. Additionally, cooking timers are known.
In conventional systems, the audible signal device alerts the cook when the temperature is high enough to start cooking. The cook then turns off the device, typically by manually pushing on a valve to slide the valve from an open to a closed position. The cook then starts a timer to time the cooking process.
Accordingly, it is a goal of the present invention to provide a structure for easily and controllably moving a slide valve between an open and a closed position.
It is a further goal of the present invention to provide a structure and method in which movement of the slide valve from an open to a closed position also simultaneously activates the timer to begin timing the cooking sequence.
It is another goal of the present invention to provide an integrated valve and timer assembly.